Chapter 29: Hints the Princess May Not Be of Royal Blood

When Chu Nanxi heard him mention the Lingxin Knot, she frowned slightly. When had she ever given him such a thing?

Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Jiang Jingchen carefully took out the Lingxin Knot he had treasured for so long from his chest.

Upon seeing the object, Chu Nanxi’s expression turned dazed, and a memory suddenly surfaced in her mind.

There was a time when the maids in her room spent their days weaving those knots. She had idly learned how to do it herself. Once she finished one, she had casually tossed it somewhere and forgotten about it. How did it end up with His Majesty?

“How did Your Majesty come to possess this Lingxin Knot?”

Jiang Jingchen’s heart sank at her words. So it truly wasn’t something she had given him. She really had no feelings for him.

“It’s nothing. I must have been mistaken.” Jiang Jingchen’s eyes dimmed. He forced a bitter smile, then turned and left.

Chu Nanxi watched his slightly lonely figure while still pondering over the Lingxin Knot, until he disappeared completely from sight.

She looked toward a certain spot and spoke: “Aren’t you all going to come out now?”

Behind the rockery, Jiang Huaiyue’s eyes widened as she glanced at Su Xiangwan in shock. Had they been discovered?

Su Xiangwan calmly brushed off her dress and led Jiang Huaiyue out.

“Apologies. We didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I hope you won’t take offense, Miss.” Su Xiangwan looked at Chu Nanxi and expressed her regret.

Chu Nanxi glanced at the two and noticed the sachet tied to Jiang Huaiyue’s waist. Then she looked at her face and silently thought, So that’s it.

She had smelled the familiar scent upon arriving and suspected someone else might be around. She hadn’t expected it to be her.

So the woman who came to the clinic that day was actually Princess Yunhe. But why would she be afflicted by gu (a type of poison or curse)?

Thinking of the rumors circulating among the people, she couldn’t help but wonder—could it be the Prince Regent?

“It’s fine. You must have arrived earlier than us, Princess and Madam General. If it wasn’t intentional, there’s no need to apologize.” Chu Nanxi smiled slightly, her expression calm and composed.

Hearing this, Jiang Huaiyue couldn’t help but ask, “How did Miss Chu know who we are?”

“And how does the Princess know my surname is Chu?” Chu Nanxi raised her brows. If she remembered correctly, she had never mentioned her name during the entire conversation.

Jiang Huaiyue was momentarily stunned. Su Xiangwan interjected, “Among the ladies of the capital, only the granddaughter of the Grand Tutor bears the name Nanxi.”

Chu Nanxi looked at her. The woman before her was gentle and serene, like a graceful magnolia in full bloom. She must be a wife he is quite content with, she thought.

She quickly concealed the emotion in her eyes and curved her lips slightly. “I hope the Princess and Madam will keep what happened today to yourselves. I’ll take my leave first.”

With that, she nodded politely and turned to leave.

Jiang Huaiyue touched her chin and muttered, “Something feels off. That Chu Nanxi didn’t seem to have any feelings for Jiang Jingchen at all. Weren’t they supposed to be the male and female leads?”

“The script was only a reference. Ever since we entered this world, everything here is real, and everyone is no longer just words on a page. That’s not enough to understand them.” Su Xiangwan said solemnly.

She had studied everything carefully. Things had already deviated far from the original plot. What happens next would depend entirely on the choices they make.

“Forget it. No point dwelling on it. I should just focus on cleaning up my own mess.” Jiang Huaiyue pouted. She could barely handle her own problems—how could she have the time to worry about others?

Su Xiangwan squeezed her hand gently. “Don’t be afraid. I’m still here. Everything will be fine.”

“Mhm.” Jiang Huaiyue smiled brightly.

Thank goodness for Wanwan. Without her, I really wouldn’t know what to do.

On the other side, back at the banquet, Jiang Jingchen had returned looking dejected. He downed cup after cup of wine, quickly becoming drunk.

Under the moonlight, Pei Ji stood at the edge of the pavilion, his eyes calm as he gazed into the distance. Dressed in a robe of deep purple, he exuded noble elegance.

Mo Ying approached slowly. “My Lord, the little prince went to chat with the General’s wife, and also eavesdropped on His Majesty and Miss Chu.”

Pei Ji gave a quiet “Mm,” not asking further. Since Mo Ying skimmed over it with a single sentence, it meant Jiang Huaiyue hadn’t said anything important—and he wasn’t interested in the rest.

He stepped up the stone stairs and began walking toward the palace gate, with Mo Ying following closely behind.

As they passed by the Rui Garden, Pei Ji overheard a few officials’ wives chatting. He had no interest in their gossip, but unexpectedly, he heard Jiang Huaiyue’s name mentioned.

He paused, subtly shifting to hide himself. Seeing this, Mo Ying also quickly concealed himself.

The conversation continued:

“Did you know? It’s said that Consort Rong gave birth to Prince Yun He before her term, but the imperial physician confirmed the child was actually full-term. Do you know what that implies?”

“What does it mean?” another woman asked.

“Ai ya~ It means the prince might not be of royal blood.”

Someone gasped. “You shouldn’t say things like that carelessly!”

Matters involving royal lineage could stir up a huge scandal if spread.

“I’m not saying it carelessly. I’m good friends with the imperial physician’s wife. She told me this herself,” said Madam Zhang, wife of the Minister of Works, who was notoriously fond of gossip and spreading rumors.

Mo Ying glanced at his master’s face, wondering if the rumor might be true. Could it be that the prince really wasn’t the late emperor’s son?

Pei Ji, expressionless, resumed walking. Mo Ying, catching the signal, deliberately made some noise.

The women, startled by the noise, turned and upon seeing Pei Ji, their legs went weak, and they instantly dropped to their knees. “Greetings, Your Highness!”

Looking at the kneeling women, Pei Ji spoke coldly: “Mo Ying, it seems these ladies’ tongues are itching—cut them off.”

At his command, the women trembled in terror. One even fainted on the spot.

“Your Highness, we were wrong! We won’t speak carelessly again—please have mercy!”

Madam Zhang kowtowed frantically, trembling uncontrollably.

Pei Ji’s voice was icy as he cast a glance at them. “Say one more word—and die.”

That single, casually spoken word die made it clear to them: they were finished.

Mo Ying received Pei Ji’s silent signal and dragged the women aside. The sound of blades cutting through flesh and their screams soon followed. Moments later, only muffled sobbing remained.

“If I hear this kind of talk again,” Pei Ji said as he walked away, “next time, it won’t just be your tongues.”

---

When Jiang Huaiyue returned to the banquet, she noticed Pei Ji was nowhere to be seen. After all the running around, she was hungry and began to eat.

Midway through the feast, dancers with soft, graceful movements took to the floor. She watched with great interest.

At that moment, a young eunuch entered. Soon after, several important officials across from her stood up and hurriedly left.

Jiang Huaiyue found this odd and turned to Qiu Chan. “Qiu Chan, go check what’s going on.”

Qiu Chan quickly left and returned shortly after, her face pale with fear.

She crouched down, her voice trembling. “My Lady… it was the prince. He had Mo Ying cut out a few women’s tongues. There’s blood all over the ground.”

Upon hearing this, the pastry in Jiang Huaiyue’s hand immediately lost all flavor.